One of my Los Angeles clients was recently approved for naturalization. I began representing her five years ago when she was stopped at the airport and put into removal proceedings because she had two crimes involving moral turpitude from ten years prior. When she was a teenager she was convicted of writing bad checks – misdemeanors. When she tried to enter the US after a trip abroad, she was deemed inadmissible and put into removal proceedings. We did a motion to change venue from Texas to Los Angeles. Then, for the next four years we pursued cancellation of removal, which was approved by an immigration judge earlier this year. After the deportation case was finished, we began the naturalization case. Everything went smoothly at the interview. The officer asked some questions about the prior convictions, but the general tone of the interview was cordial and friendly. My client will take her naturalization oath in the next month. If you are considering the naturalization process, contact Nelson & Nuñez, P.C. Especially if you have a criminal conviction, you need to consult an experienced immigration attorney before filing. Otherwise, you could end up in removal proceedings, which can take many years and cost a lot of money to defend. Nelson & Nuñez, P.C. will personally meet with you and help you understand your position and chances for success with naturalization.Categories: cancellation of removal, crime of moral turpitude, deportation, immigration lawyer, Los Angeles, motion to change venue, naturalization, Orange County

EOIR has reordered its priorities in the immigration courts to address the current border situation. The Department of Justice recently announced new priorities in light of the ongoing migrant children crisis along the southern border. The Executive Office of Immigration Review (“EOIR”), which includes the immigration courts and Board of Immigration Appeals, has reordered its priorities in the immigration courts. EOIR has set as its top priority the adjudication of cases that fall into the following four groups:

unaccompanied children

adults with children in detentionadults with children released on “alternatives to detention”other individuals in detention.

As EOIR prioritizes these cases of individuals who recently crossed the border, and continues to hear cases of those who are detained, the cases of individuals that do not fall into those priority categories may take longer to resolve. This could involve continued immigration proceedings for many aliens currently in immigration court. Additional information is available in the DOJ press release and the fact-sheet.Categories: BIA, border security, deportation, detention, DOJ, EOIR, immigrant child, immigration court